ATLANTA — In what's been a frustrating season for Atlanta Falcons fans, playoff hopes might feel a little bit hollow at this point.
But there is, nonetheless, still a hope.
The final week of the NFL regular season is approaching on Sunday, with the Falcons in New Orleans to take on their bitter rivals, the Saints. In late November the teams met in Atlanta, with the Falcons winning 24-15.
One major question lingers for the Falcons, as it's still up in the air who will play quarterback, but obviously they'll be hoping they can repeat some of that magic from Week 12 that carried them to a win.
If they can leave New Orleans victorious, it opens up the possibility they could still indeed win the NFC South and go to the NFL Playoffs. Here's what would need to happen.
Atlanta Falcons playoff scenario
It's pretty simple. The basic breakdown is:
- Falcons beat Saints
- Panthers beat Buccaneers
If those two things happen, Atlanta's in. Anything less and the season's over.
The breakdown goes like this: The Falcons right now are 7-9, third in the NFC South, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Saints are tied atop the division at 8-8.
If all teams finish 8-9 however - with a Falcons win over New Orleans and a Tampa Bay loss to Carolina - Atlanta would own the tiebreaker by virtue of a 3-1 record against the other two teams. Tampa Bay went 2-2 against Atlanta and New Orleans, and the Saints would finish 1-3 against the other two if they lost to the Falcons.
Other NFC South scenarios
Of course, the wrench in the scenario above for the Falcons is that it hinges on Carolina beating Tampa Bay. The Panthers haven't won hardly at all this year -- they're 2-14, though that includes when they found a way to beat Atlanta in an ugly Week 15 affair that ended 9-7.
So what are the other scenarios for the division?
- If Tampa Bay wins, they win the division
- If Tampa Bay ties and New Orleans loses or ties, the Bucs win the division
- If New Orleans beats Atlanta and Tampa Bay loses, they win the division
- If New Orleans ties and Tampa Bay loses, they would also win the division